


A World Without

by a_quick_drink



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Horror, Light Horror, M/M, Modern Era, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-28 02:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12596004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_quick_drink/pseuds/a_quick_drink
Summary: Eddie's never liked the old mirror left by previous owners. Now he knows why...





	A World Without

The tapping sound pulled Eddie from a deep sleep. He'd initially thought it was part of the dream he'd been having, but the sound continued even after he'd opened his eyes and stared at the dark ceiling. Then he'd thought it was something hitting the window--branches or heavy rain--but a peek through the blinds confirmed it was a still and moonless night.

The tapping continued.

A shiver crawled up his spine as he threw back the blankets and climbed out of bed, careful not to disturb Andy, who'd so far slept through everything. Man could sleep through a bomb exploding outside their window, Eddie was sure of it.

The hardwood floor was cold underfoot, colder than he remembered it ever getting before. He should check the thermostat as long as he was up. They liked to keep their home cool at night so as not to overheat when they inevitably tangled together, but this was a bit much. And what was that damned tapping?

The floorboards creaked as he rounded his end of the bed, which reflected in the mirror sitting in the corner. The large mirror rested in an ornate tilted frame, an antique left by the home's previous owners who claimed the owners before them had purchased it at an estate sale. Had it been up to him, the gaudy thing would've been thrown to the curb for the garbage men or a passerby to take it away, but Andy liked it so it'd stayed.

The tapping quickened, along with his heartbeat. Eddie froze. He glanced at the mirror, chuckling at the frightened reflection staring back. He was a grown man, for chrissakes, and here he was, looking like he'd seen a ghost. Ridiculous. There was no such thing as ghosts, or boogeymen, or monsters under the bed. The sound was from one of the many things outside that needed repaired, or an old house's creaky settling foundation, or the constant ringing in his ears that'd plagued him since leaving the Corps.

Eddie turned away, but a flash of movement in the corner of his eye drew his attention back to the mirror. Still his reflection, still a scared expression. And then the reflection raised its hand. It pressed it to the other side of the glass, as if it were a window separating them.

Eddie clenched his fists at his sides. No way was he touching that glass. He'd seen enough horror movies to know that was a good way of becoming a casualty. The words "help me" echoed in his mind as the reflection's mouth moved, pleading with him. His hand moved of its own accord, his feet rooted to the floor so he couldn't back away no matter how much he wanted to.

The glass was cool and liquid under his fingertips. Ripples radiated outward, distorting the image. Eddie willed himself to pull his hand away, but his body refused to cooperate. Icy fingers wrapped around his wrist. Panicked, he leaned back and tried to wrench his wrist from the reflection's grip, but the hand tightened. Baring its teeth like an animal, the reflection grinned as it yanked him forward.

Tremors wracked Eddie's body as he clawed at the glass from the wrong side, watching in horror as his reflection--whatever the hell it really was--took his place in the bed.

Andy rolled over. "Everything okay?" His voice was rough and sleepy and it made Eddie's heart ache. Andy probably couldn't hear him, but Eddie could hear and see everything as clearly as though he were watching a TV show.

The reflection burrowed under the blankets and into Andy's arms. "Yeah, thought I'd heard something."

"That tapping sound?"

The reflection hummed an affirmative. "Just the branches against the window," it lied, huffing a laugh. With Eddie's voice there was no reason for Andy to question the thing.

Banging his fists on the glass, Eddie screamed for Andy. He'd notice eventually. Wouldn't he?

Eddie turned away. There was nothing more to see, for now, and he wasn't sure how much more his heart could stand anyway.

The change in scenery proved no better. Dark, forbidding forest surrounded him, stretching to a horizon shrouded in mist. The truly eerie part, though, was the lack of sensory details: no breeze or crickets chirping, no leaves rustling or the metallic tang of fresh earth. The sky was black--not because a moon was hidden in thick clouds like he'd hoped, but because nothing was there. He was trapped in some kind of vacuum. Alone.

Or was he?

More questions spun through his mind. What was this place, and what was that reflection? Was there a way out? What would happen to Andy? Why him? His head began to throb. He wouldn't get any closer to answers--if there were any--just standing here.

Keeping to a straight line so he could easily find his way back to the mirror, Eddie headed for the edge of the forest where the trees faded into the mist. Beyond that point might be something. Or more nothing.

He stopped in his tracks to get a sense for how far he was from the mirror. To his surprise, it was right behind him, like he'd never moved. Blinking in confusion, he shook his head. He wasn't in the mood for any more mental gymnastics required to make any sense of this nightmare. The dark glass brightened under his touch.

In their bedroom Andy was busy putting new sheets on the bed, like they always did on Saturday nights so they could spend their Sundays lazing in bed. It was a chore they did together to make quick work of, but as Andy moved back and forth out of view of the mirror, Eddie guessed he was doing it alone this time. And sunlight was streaming through the windows. Odd, but not unusual for them to miss a day every once in awhile whenever life got too busy.

With no sign of his doppelganger in the room, Eddie rapped his knuckles against the glass. Andy froze. Eddie rapped again, until Andy was standing in front of the mirror, brows furrowed. Dark circles under his eyes contrasted the pallor of his skin. Lifeless eyes stared through him. There was more silver at his temples than Eddie remembered, making him look years older. But it'd only been an hour or two at most for him--there was no way this had happened in that time. Just how much time had elapsed?

He touched Andy's cheek. "What has that thing done to you?" Eddie said around the lump in his throat. 

Hands still pressed to the glass, he sank to his knees and tried to ignore the burning in his shoulders. He couldn't let go again, not when the next time would kill another piece of his soul. Or maybe...maybe he was already dead.

Exhaustion suddenly consumed him. He forced his eyes open, but every minute that ticked by made his lids heavier. He leaned against the glass. He wouldn't let go.

Tears leaked from his eyes as consciousness faded. He wouldn't...

The mirror slipped away.

.......

Eddie jolted awake, gasping for breath while his heart slammed against his ribs. His sweat-soaked shirt clung to his skin.

When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he scanned the room. Nothing seemed out of place or otherwise suspect, not even the antique mirror. All was quiet, too, save for Andy's soft breaths. _Just a nightmare_ , Eddie told himself, _everything's okay_.

Trembling, he laid down and molded himself to Andy's side, melting under Andy's touch as he rubbed circles between Eddie's shoulders. He'd nearly fallen back to sleep when the tapping sound started.

Snatching the heavy jar candle from his nightstand, Eddie hurled it at the mirror. The light on Andy's nightstand switched on, but Eddie ignored it as he crawled to the end of the bed to look down at the mirror's remains. Dozens of reflections of himself glared back, faces twisted in anger with mouths wide open and screaming before they faded away.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this story, please take a moment to leave a kudos and/or comment. The support is greatly appreciated. :)


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